The Long VacationYonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
History
The Long Vacation
Yonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Upper class -- England -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Vacations -- Fiction
Sunday morning found Anna in a different frame of mind from that of the
evening before. Uncle Clement had been very ill all night, and the
house was to be kept as quiet as possible. When Anna came in from
early Celebration, Aunt Cherry came out looking like a ghost, and very
anxious, and gave a sigh of relief on Adrian being reported still
sound asleep. Gerald presently came down, pale and languid, but calling
himself all right, and loitering over his breakfast till after the boy
appeared, so rosy and ravenous as to cause no apprehension, except that
he should devour too much apricot jam, and use his new boots too noisily
on the stairs.
Anna devised walking him to Beechcroft to hear if there were any news
of Fergus, and though he observed, with a certain sound of contemptuous
rivalship, that there was no need, for “Merrifield was as right as a
trivet,” he was glad enough to get out of doors a little sooner, and
though he affected to be bored by the kind inquiries of the people they
met, he carried his head all the higher for them.
Nobody was at home except General Mohun, but he verified Adrian’s
impression of his nephew’s soundness, whatever the mysterious comparison
might mean; and asked rather solicitously not only after Mr. Underwood
but after Gerald, who, he said, was a delicate subject to have made such
exertions.
“It really was very gallant and very sensible behaviour,” he said, as
he took his hat to walk to St. Andrew’s with the brother and sister,
but Anna was conscious of a little pouting in Adrian’s expression, and
displeasure in his stumping steps.
Gerald came to church, but went to sleep in the sermon, and had
altogether such a worn-out look that no one could help remembering that
he had never been very strong, and had gone through much exertion the
day before, nor could he eat much of the mid-day meal. Mrs. Grinstead,
who was more at ease about her brother, looked anxiously at him, and
with a kind of smile the word “Apres” passed between them. The Sunday
custom was for Clement to take Adrian to say his Catechism, and have a
little instruction before going out walking, but as this could not be on
this day, Anna and he were to go out for a longer walk than usual, so
as to remove disturbance from the household. Gerald declined, of course,
and was left extended on the sofa; but just as Anna and Adrian had made
a few steps along the street, and the boy had prevailed not to walk to
Clipstone, as she wished, but to go to the cliffs, that she might hear
the adventure related in sight of the scene of action, he discovered
that he had left a glove. He was very particular about Sunday walking
in gloves in any public place, and rushed back to find it, leaving his
sister waiting. Presently he came tearing back and laughing.
“Did you find it?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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